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Genesis 4

Gen. 4:23 KJV (With Strong’s)

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23
And Lamech
Lemek (Hebrew #3929)
Lemek, the name of two antediluvian patriarchs
KJV usage: Lamech.
Pronounce: leh'-mek
Origin: from an unused root of uncertain meaning
said
'amar (Hebrew #559)
to say (used with great latitude)
KJV usage: answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.
Pronounce: aw-mar'
Origin: a primitive root
unto his wives
'ishshah (Hebrew #802)
irregular plural, nashiym {naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as 582)
KJV usage: (adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none, one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.
Pronounce: ish-shaw'
Origin: feminine of 376 or 582
, Adah
`Adah (Hebrew #5711)
ornament; Adah, the name of two women
KJV usage: Adah.
Pronounce: aw-daw'
Origin: from 5710
and Zillah
Tsillah (Hebrew #6741)
Tsillah, an antediluvian woman
KJV usage: Zillah.
Pronounce: tsil-law'
Origin: feminine of 6738
, Hear
shama` (Hebrew #8085)
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
KJV usage: X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.
Pronounce: shaw-mah'
Origin: a primitive root
my voice
qowl (Hebrew #6963)
from an unused root meaning to call aloud; a voice or sound
KJV usage: + aloud, bleating, crackling, cry (+ out), fame, lightness, lowing, noise, + hold peace, (pro-)claim, proclamation, + sing, sound, + spark, thunder(-ing), voice, + yell.
Pronounce: kole
Origin: or qol {kole}
; ye wives
'ishshah (Hebrew #802)
irregular plural, nashiym {naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as 582)
KJV usage: (adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none, one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.
Pronounce: ish-shaw'
Origin: feminine of 376 or 582
of Lamech
Lemek (Hebrew #3929)
Lemek, the name of two antediluvian patriarchs
KJV usage: Lamech.
Pronounce: leh'-mek
Origin: from an unused root of uncertain meaning
, hearken
'azan (Hebrew #238)
probably to expand; but used only as a denominative from 241; to broaden out the ear (with the hand), i.e. (by implication) to listen
KJV usage: give (perceive by the) ear, hear(-ken). See 239.
Pronounce: aw-zan'
Origin: a primitive root
unto my speech
'imrah (Hebrew #565)
feminine of 561, and meaning the same
KJV usage: commandment, speech, word.
Pronounce: im-raw'
Origin: or memrah {em-raw'}
: for ζI have slain
harag (Hebrew #2026)
to smite with deadly intent
KJV usage: destroy, out of hand, kill, murder(-er), put to (death), make (slaughter), slay(-er), X surely.
Pronounce: haw-rag'
Origin: a primitive root
a man
'iysh (Hebrew #376)
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
KJV usage: also, another, any (man), a certain, + champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people, person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare 802.
Pronounce: eesh
Origin: contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant)
to my wounding
petsa` (Hebrew #6482)
a wound
KJV usage: wound(-ing).
Pronounce: peh'-tsah
Origin: from 6481
, and a young man
yeled (Hebrew #3206)
something born, i.e. a lad or offspring
KJV usage: boy, child, fruit, son, young man (one).
Pronounce: yeh'-led
Origin: from 3205
ηto my hurt
chabbuwrah (Hebrew #2250)
or chaburah {khab-oo-raw'}; from 2266; properly, bound (with stripes), i.e. a weal (or black-and-blue mark itself)
KJV usage: blueness, bruise, hurt, stripe, wound.
Pronounce: khab-boo-raw'
Origin: or chabburah {khab-boo-raw'}
.
ζ
or, I would slay a man in my wound, etc.
η
or, in my hurt.

More on:

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Adah,
Lamech,
Man,
Wife,
Zillah

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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hear.
Num. 23:18• 18And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: (Num. 23:18)
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Judg. 9:7• 7And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. (Judg. 9:7)
I have slain a man to my wounding.
or, I would slay a man in my wound, etc.
Gen. 49:6• 6O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. (Gen. 49:6)
to my hurt.
or, in my hurt.
• Ye wives of Lemech, hearken to my speech: For a man I have slain for wounding me, And a youth for hurting me;1 (“Genesis 4:23-26” by W. Kelly)
• It is the first recorded poetry in the Bible; and God is in no way the object, but self for this life. (“Genesis 4:23-26” by W. Kelly)
• And here in Lemech's words, though he may have meant nothing higher than the sad facts of Cain's deed or his own, can we not hear the inspired image of the Jew's confession in the latter day?... (Zech. 12:10). Lemech's saying, therefore, is an unconscious prophecy like that of Caiaphas, but of the Jews acknowledging, not hiding, blood-guiltiness (Psa. 1). (“Genesis 4:23-26” by W. Kelly)

J. N. Darby Translation

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23
And Lemech said to his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice, Ye wives of Lemech, listen to my speech. For I have slain a man for my wound, and a youth for my bruised.

JND Translation Notes

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d
Or "to my wounding," "to my bruising."

W. Kelly Translation

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23
And Lemech said unto his wives,{HR}Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;